Donations like those pictured to local agencies help protect homeless people from the cold. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

EAST LIVERPOOL — Like many parts throughout our state and entire country, southern Columbiana County is dealing with a homeless population issue.

Glen McMillin, supervisor of the Columbiana County Task Mobile Crisis Response Team, estimates there are between 100 to 200 homeless people countywide with the majority of the population in the southern part of the county. He also noted that for the most part, homelessness goes hand-in-hand with drug addiction and mental health.

Major Mark Larrick of the Salvation Army in East Liverpool is not aware of any official numbers generated through count of how many homeless there are in the area.

According to Larrick, the Salvation Army averages or two or three folks who are homeless stop by daily for sandwiches and related items. Most are familiar faces but there are occasions when those serving might see a new face.

Candy Faloon, executive director, United Way of Southern Columbiana County, said when she asked a homeless person how many others there are in the East Liverpool area, his guess was 60-70.

McMillin explained that if a person has a couch to sleep on, he or she is not technically considered homeless. He also said that many times — especially those dealing with meth — will congregate in a vacant house, When any agency arrives at that location, repsentatives are told by a homeless person that they can go sleep on a friend’s couch. Thus, they are technically not homeless and twill just wander off without receiving any services.

Jesse Smith, director, Columbiana County Drug Task Force (DTF), said that generally what DTF officers — especially now that it’s getting colder — see regarding drug houses is that maybe have the structure has two bedrooms but has eight to 10 people staying there because they are homeless and addicted to drugs. A flop house with other addicts and homeless people is the only place they can go to get in out the cold.

DTF doesn’t deal all that much with what would be consider a traditional homelessness like a person sleeping outside or on a park bench. But more like what they refer to as the nomadic wanderer couch-surfing addict. They are the abusers harder to catch. The DTF does work with the county’s Mobile Crisis Response Team, which according to Smith, has the connection with the homeless shelter and community resources.

Smith recalled the DTF serving a warrant a few months back on a house in East Liverpool where they found an out-of-town drug dealer, the homeowner, about seven other people and two small children in the house. He said after speaking with a couple of people in the house he found out they were paying the homeowner what they could scrounge up to stay there. It was sort of an agreement where the homeless buys their drugs from the homeowner and they would be allowed to stay there.

Smith notes a big problem is because a lot of flop houses aren’t kept up. They end up being condemned. When that happens no one can stay in that house and six to 10 addicts end up being displaced.

“That is not exactly ideal so that is where our peer support (mobile crisis unit) can step in and hopefully get then connected not just with drug treatment but housing whether temporary or permanent, something to get them off the streets,” Smith said.

McMillin noted that when he started with the Mobile Crisis Unit, he was surprised to see the problem in Salem where there were homeless encampments. This was predominantly when the meth crisis first hit the area and now it is interwoven with the homeless issue.

“It goes hand-in-hand with the addiction in a lot of instances and also with this is mental health,” McMillin said. “It’s kind of multi-layered so you can’t just put them in an apartment and say they are no longer homeless.”

McMillin expressed the situation worsens with abusers continuing to use without getting mental health issues addressed, They would lose the apartment and the cycle would continue. He has seen it happen repeatedly.

For many there is that desire to have something close to home, the availability of a shelter and places that have a program in place that will not only get them in out of the cold but alleviate the larger issues that drove them into the situation there are in, Larrick said. There is a need to look at the larger picture.

Larrick also said the biggest challenge is determining steps to help homeless population. One of the biggest obstacles is the getting individuals to acknowledge having issues such as addiction or mental health instead of being in denial.

Larrick said there have been a few accepting that they have a mental health issue and are working with a counselor to move forward. He also said that is a very important step and it is the same with addiction.

“They need to be able to help themselves by coming to term with having the issues that put them in the situation before they can be helped,”

East Liverpool Mayor Bobby Smith attributed the homeless problem to choices made by the homeless and questions what to do with those who making these choices that keep them homeless.

“I would say that 99% of the people that are homeless. It’s a choice or past choice that got them to where they are at, and each case is different,” he said.

Mayor Smith said his definition of homeless is someone without a home, or a place to put their head at night except in a bush, at the side or the road or in a tent somewhere.

“That’s how I look at it in this little town. In bigger towns it’s a different definition of homelessness,” he stressed. “But here — when they want to start talking about people that are couch surfing — factoring them in as homeless that a far stretch of the imagination.”

He doesn’t believe a person who has a problem with their life which has caused them to be couch surfing, is considered homeless. They become homeless when the couch surfing ends because of their conduct and inability to get their life in order causes everyone who has been nice to them to say no more and not let them stay there anymore.

There are a multitude of agencies ready to assist with the immediate needs of the homeless such as the United Way, The Salvation Army, The Way Station, Grace City Church and others.

“Outside of meeting the immediate need of foods we also have warm clothing, blankets and things like that to offer,” Larrick said. “We are also able to refer folks that find themselves in that situation to our homeless shelter located in Belaire, OH.”

Larrick noted that not very many of those they help take them up on the offer of the homeless shelter, even with the organization willing to transport them.

“They (the homeless) have told me on several occasions that even going up to Lisbon to the community action shelter is too far and they want something here in East Liverpool, but there is nothing available in East Liverpool,” Larrick said.

There are plenty of places that are able to hand out soup, a coat or whatever which is great for helping with the immediate need. But the greater need or mental health, drug addiction or other barriers that prevent them from holding a job or having stable housing needs to be addressed.

Larrick believes that a cup of soup, a blanket or a coat has some value in assisting with the immediate need. But if the long-term needs aren’t addressed then all that’s being done is meeting the immediate need for the same person over and over again.

Faloon said that when she comes into the United Way Office there will be people waiting there to come in and get snacks, water or a coat.

She notes that there are some who have been coming in on a regular basis. Last week she had six sleeping bags to hand out and now she is down to two.

Way Station store manager Christine Cianni said she has more homeless coming in when the weather gets cold. She could not provide an average number of how many she sees but noted it changes year-by-year.

Cianni said right now, the needy come in mornings maybe two or three a week, depending on the weather. A few may come in in the afternoon looking for something to eat or a clean outfit.

The Way Station offers blankets, any kind of clothing needed and hygiene bags. She also said they offer prayer, a listening ear and a place to sit.

The Way Station also posts a list of numbers outside for shelters and like references. There aren’t a lot of shelters in the area.

Cianni said she sees a lot of regulars and The Way Station just does what they can to help with the population’s immediate need.

McMillin noted that there are only 22 beds in the county for homeless at the shelters. So, beds and transportation are services lacking in the area.

“There’s just a lot of things that aren’t there yet that we are trying to work on,” he said.

According to Mayor Smith, there is a very fine line between helping and enabling when it comes to the homeless issue.

He mentioned one person he is aware of who has burned all his bridges for help and it is his choice to be remain homeless. He also noted he is aware this person wanders all over town bumming money to get a 20-ounce tall boy then is able to Grace Church and get three meals a day and clothes and other needs — so he has no incentive to do better.

Mayor Smith said that someone willing to live that way has got to have mental health issues. He also noted when police officers pick up homeless where are they supposed to take them and what are they supposed to do? Many times, officers pass them by because they are familiar with them and there is no answer to the problem.

“People that want to throw coats and gloves and food at these people, that wonderful. It helps, of course it helps,” he added. “I’m not that ignorant to think it doesn’t help, but it’s not solving the problem. I like to solve problems not keep putting band aids on them.”

McMillin believes any type of solution is going to require a wraparound coverage approach with agencies such as the Community Care Team, Continuum of Care and every other agency working together to combat all three issues to begin to solve the homeless problem.

He said there are a few programs on the precipice of coming to the county — one of which is a pilot program funded with grant money in the Salem area. He hopes to the see the program succeed including transitional housing and job training once the homeless are past the crisis point. This would be a year-long program involving all the agencies to get a person from a crisis point to housed, trained for a job and functioning back in society within a year. This is a way off yet but progress is being made.

“It literally takes a village, but it is something we are starting to gain traction in,” McMillin said.

“The very best approach, not just for the homeless, but for many forms of poverty, is not just a handout, which is important, but a hand up which really helps to move people in a positive direction,” Larrick said.

McMillin also said that the Mobile Crisis Unit has been focused on the southern part of the county and partnered up with many agencies to address the problem. Monthly meetings are held, and homelessness is one of the topics discussed. A meeting is scheduled for Dec. 10 to address homelessness in the county.

“This is the top thing for every agency around our county,” he said. “Most agencies are realizing this is too much for any one agency and we are going to have to work together so we are seeing a lot of collaboration which are key.”

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com